Esteve Foundation Discussion Groups

The Esteve Foundation Discussion Groups seek to bring together small groups of experts on a topic object of debate, with the aim of analysing the different approaches and, if possible, establishing a consensus on appropriate courses of action.

Proteins are the most abundant biological cellular macromolcules and structurally characterized by being formed from a group of 20 precursor molecules, known as amino acids. The grouping and combination of these amino acids enable peptides, oligopeptides and polypetides to be formed, to construct larger structures, which are strictly speaking proteins. Although up until now it…

Receptor heteromers constitute a new area of research that is reshaping our thinking about biochemistry, cell biology, pharmacology and drug discovery. The concept, in which receptors of the same and different gene families can combine among themselves to generate dimers and possibly higher-order entities with uniquebiochemical and functional characteristics, is becoming widely accepted. The latest…

The research conducted by scientific journals themselves is an essential for furthering knowledge. Aspects such as peer review, conflict of interest or malpractice deserve to be analysed by the publications themselves in the interests of greater transparency and quality of the results. However, despite the interest they pose to the scientific community, studies of the…

The loss of myelin as a result of diseases such as multiple sclerosis causes serious nervous system disorders, where electrical impulses are not conducted with sufficient speed or stop in the middle of axons. This is what is meant by demyelination. However, sometimes this process can be accompanied by aspontaneous regenerative response in which new…

After implantation of a prosthetic knee, some arthritis patients continue to experience pain after surgery. In some cases this is the result of so-called pain memory, which continues to send signals to the brain even though the joint has been removed. Several international experts in the field came together on the 12th and 13th May…

For an individual to enter an addictive process involves both their social environment and their individual vulnerability factors, which involve both personality and genetic components. Advances in research have identified genes and pathways involved in the process of addiction, leading to the description of common molecular mechanisms in drug dependencies. On October 7th and 8th…

Migraine continues to remain a major scientific mystery. We know that it is preceded by premonitory symptoms such as aura or impaired vision in some cases, causing nausea and unilateral pain accompanied by intense headache, and involves sensory distress such as photophobia or excessive sensitivity to sound. However, the treatment of migraine remains a major…

Beyond funding, conflicts of interest in scientific communication can occur in quite ordinary situations, such as when the author of a manuscript proposes that a friend revise the text or when the editor of a journal feels a particular inclination towards the articles of colleagues. Virginia Barbour is chief editor of PLoS Medicine, the Public…